2012 Summer Literacy Adventure Continues at Ravine Gardens State Park
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2012 Summer Literacy Adventure Continues at Ravine Gardens State Park
Tallahassee, Fla., June 20, 2012 - Surrounded by the beautiful gardens and sandy ridges of the Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka, Florida's First Lady Ann Scott today continued the 2012 Summer Literacy Adventure by reading to students attending the Eco Adventure Days camp. Mrs. Scott was joined by representatives from the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to promote the Summer Literacy Adventure Pledge and advance the reading skills of children attending the summer day camp"Florida state parks provide a wonderful atmosphere for children and families to discover nature and have fun," said Mrs. Scott. "I want to challenge all of Florida's students to join me in taking the Summer Literacy Adventure Pledge and read as many books as possible during the summer break."
The 2012 Summer Literacy Adventure is geared to help children stay on target, motivated and excited about reading and literacy. Studies have shown that students who read throughout the year are better able to retain the knowledge and continue to learn. Each student can fill out their reading pledge on the Just Read, Florida! website. At the end of the summer, the department will tally up which schools have the most participants. The winning school will be announced in the fall and will receive free passes to any Florida State Park.
"The Florida Department of Environmental Protection encourages students to read at a state park because there is no better place to experience the power of a good book. Here, kids can let their imagination run wild through the trees, past the lakes, up the trails and on an exhilarating journey of learning," said Florida Park Service Director Donald Forgione. "Our state offers many diverse natural areas and one-of-a-kind experiences for our young readers."
Students who take the pledge may also utilize a free online tool to search for books based on their reading ability and interests. MetaMetrics offers a unique resource called "Find a Book, Florida" that uses Lexile® measures, a widely adopted reading metric, that can guide a reader to the appropriate level book. Each year, more than 30 million Lexile® measures are reported from reading assessments and programs-representing over half of our nation's students.
For more information about the 2012 Summer Literacy Adventure, visit http://www.justreadflorida.com/pdf/SummerReadingAdventure2012.pdf (PDF).
The Department's Just Read, Florida! Office offers a 2012 Summer Recommended Reading List. To learn about these resources, visit www.justreadflorida.com.
To view photos of today's event, please visit http://www.facebook.com/FLAnnScott. To learn more about First Lady Ann Scott, follow her on twitter at @FLANNSCOTT.